Exodus 38: Lessons from the Tabernacle on Walking in a Covenant Relationship with God.

Introduction: At first blush, Exodus 38 appears to merely repeat the lessons on the altar of burnt offering, the bronze laver and the walls and gate for the outer courtyard found in chapters 27 and 30. God repeated these parts of the Tabernacle to emphasize their importance. He also places them together in the same chapter to explain the conditions and benefits of being in a “covenant relationship.” From this chapter, God reveals seven important lessons for your walk with Him.

First, through the altar of burnt offering, He reveals that His covenant relationship cannot exist without the atonement of sin. Second, through the bronze laver, He reveals that to remain in fellowship, you must wash in Christ’s Word. Third, through the 100-cubit outer walls (which symbolize the Ten Commandments), He reveals that He will protect you when you live within His Covenant. Fourth, through the 50-cubit outer walls (a number which symbolizes freedom), He reveals that life within His covenant offers freedom from the sorrow of sin. Fifth, through the outer gate, He reveals that His door to reconciliation remains open if you step outside of His covenant relationship. Sixth, through the obedience of the leaders in building the Tabernacle, He reveals that obedience is necessary to stay in a covenant relationship. Finally, through expensive costs provided for building the Tabernacle, He reveals that you may take for granted and neglect your covenant relationship unless you appreciate the cost that Christ paid to make it possible.

1. God’s Covenant Relationship Cannot Exist Without the Atonement of Sin. Ex. 38:1-7.

The Altar of Burnt Offering

(1) The wood for the mizbeach altar – Christ who became human and was sacrificed for us. The priests performed animal sacrifices in the courtyard of the Tabernacle at an altar called the “mizbeach” or the “Mizbeach Ha'ola,” the altar of the burnt-offering (Ex. 38:1-7; 27:1-8). This altar and its carrying poles were made of acacia / shittim / “shih-taw” wood (Ex. 38:2, 6). Likewise, the ark, the ark’s carrying poles, the table of presence, and the boards that supported the Tabernacle were all made with this wood (Ex. 38:6-7; 25:11, 13, 23-30; 26:15-29). Acacia is both strong and resistant to decay. When pierced, its sap can be used as both a pharmaceutical and as a preservative. This symbolized Christ. He emptied Himself of His divine form to take on a human body (John 1:1, 14; Phil. 2:7). His body also was not corrupted so that it could be our sacrifice (Ps. 16:10(b); Acts 13:35). His blood also heals and gives life (1 Pet. 2:24; Is. 53:5). Jesus’ body was also the sacrificial food at the altar. Eating the peace or “shalom” offering prepared at the altar was a prerequisite to fellowship with God (Lev. 3:11, 16). Thus, He is both altar of sacrifice and the sacrificial food that brings you into communion with God: “We have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat.” (Heb. 13:10; 1 Cor. 9:13; 10:18). Jesus also offers you peace by offering to dine with you when you open your heart: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.’” (Rev. 3:20-22). Are you accepting His invitation?

(2) The bronze covering the mizbeach altar - Christ bore our judgment when He was sacrificed. While the interior acacia boards were covered in gold (Ex. 25:11, 13, 23-30; 26:15-16), the mizbeach altar was covered in bronze (Ex. 38:2-6; 27:2-5). In the Bible, bronze symbolizes God’s judgment of sin. Jesus is described as having “bronze” feet (Rev. 1:15). His bronze feet will bring judgment to Satan by crushing him (Rom. 16:20). The bronze also protected the altar from the fire inside it. The fire further symbolized God’s judgment: “for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:29; 10:27; Ex. 24:17; Dt. 4:24; 9:3; Ps. 97:3; Is. 33:14; 2 Thess. 1:7). No person can treat sin lightly (Rom. 6:26). “For the wages of sin is death, . .” (Rom. 6:23). For those who do not repent, God warns: “I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of My wrath, . . .” (Ez. 21:31(a)). ‘“Is not My word like fire?’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’” (Jer. 23:29). “The soul who sins will die.” (Ez. 18:4(b)). Unless you accept that God will judge sin, you will feel no pressure to repent. Staying silent about God’s judgment of sin also doesn’t help others. Are you helping others turn to Christ to spare them from judgment? (Matt. 28:16-20).

(3) Horns on all four corners – Christ’s blood is powerful enough to cover all the earth. The altar had four horns (Ex. 38:2; 27:2). The shedding of the blood symbolized the exchange of Jesus’ life for your own: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” (Lev. 17:11). The rule requiring that the blood of one be used to pay the price of another still applies: “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb. 9:22). Jesus’ blood fulfilled God’s law by being spilled in exchange for your own (Rom. 3:25; 2 Cor. 5:21). “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, . . .” (Gal. 3:13). Some of the blood from the sacrifice was put on the horns before the rest was poured out at the base (Ex. 29:12; Lev. 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18). In the Bible, horns symbolize power and refuge (Ps. 18:2; 89:17; Lk. 1:6; Lam. 2:3; 1 Kgs. 1:50; 2:28). If the horns symbolized power or refuge, the pouring of the blood on the horns means that it had great power. In fact, the power of Christ’s blood is so strong that anyone who believes in it has “no condemnation” for any prior sins (Rom. 8:1). The horns also “reached out” in all directions (Ex. 27:2). Christ’s sacrifice also provided atonement for the entire world for anyone who might believe in faith (Jo. 3:16). ‘“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ [Christ] said to them.” (Mk. 14:24; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 2:24; Is. 53:4-5, 10, 12). There is no sin in your past that is too awful or evil to be beyond the power in His blood. When you need refuge from the sins of the world, are you taking refuge in Him?

(4) An altar with a length and width of five cubits – Christ’s blood brings mercy and grace. The length and width of the altar were both exactly five cubits (Ex. 38:1; 27:1). In the Bible, five symbolizes God’s grace. This signified that the altar brings mercy and grace.

(5) An altar with a height of three cubits - Only God can forgive your sins and bring fellowship. The altar was exactly three cubits high (Ex. 38:1; 27:1). The number three corresponds with the Trinity. This signified that only through God can your sins be forgiven. God also reveals that the “ledge of the altar” and the “net” for the ash was “halfway up the altar.” (Ex. 38:4; 27:5). The midpoint at the altar where the fire met the sacrifice at the bronze net spoke to the anguish that Christ suffered for every person (Matt. 27:46). If the altar was three cubits tall, the bronze net for the sacrifice was exactly one and one-half cubits off the ground. Both the mercy seat to the ark and the table of presence were also exactly “one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.” (Ex. 25:10, 23). Thus, the bronze net (where the fire met the sacrifice), the mercy seat, and the table of presence were all the exact same height. This means that God’s mercy and His fellowship are only possible through Christ’s sacrifice for everyone at the cross (Seeing Christ in the Tabernacle, Vision Publishers (2010) p. 56).

(6) Bronze fire pans and other utensils for removing the ash – Christ will carry your sins away. The altar turned the sin into ash. That sin had to be disposed of because sin cannot be in God’s presence. To do this, God ordered the Jews to prepare bronze utensils to remove and dispose of the ash (Ex. 38:3; 27:3). This again foreshadowed Christ. His blood will not just cover your sins. His blood will take away your sins: “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Are you leaving your sins behind you?

(7) Poles for carrying the altar – Christ will find you where you are when you repent. The altar was designed to be portable. The Levites carried it using acacia / shittim poles (Ex. 38:6-7; 27:6-7). This signifies that Christ will bring His sacrificed blood to any place where a sinner may repent. He only needs your help to encourage others.

2. To Remain in Fellowship With God, You Must Wash in Christ’s Word. Ex. 38:8.

3. Within His Covenant, God Offers Protection. Ex. 38:9-11.

The Tabernacle1

4. Within His Covenant, God Offers Freedom From Sorrow. Ex. 38:12-17.

5. God’s Door to Reconciliation After Living Outside the Covenant Is Open. Ex. 38:18-20.

6. Obedience Is Necessary to Stay Inside a Covenant Relationship. Ex. 38:21-23.

7. Appreciate the Cost of a Covenant Relationship or You Will Neglect It. Ex. 38:24-31.